Sunday, November 30, 2014

Business Storyteller - Richard Branson


Growing up I always heard about the services and products that “Virgin” had to offer such as Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin records, but never knew much about the company or the mastermind behind this multi billion-dollar Empire, Richard Branson. Before watching Branson’s interview on TED, I did not know much about Branson’s story nor did I look at him as an inspirational role model. Branson’s empire consists of over 400 companies and 55 thousand employees, which he started from the bottom.  In many ways Branson and I are alike, growing up Branson was dyslexic and had trouble grasping subjects that he was not interested in and was more of a visual learner. Branson is a maverick, he is not a follower, and he is very independent and knows what he wants to do unlike many people who just go along with the rest of the group. As a child, I also had a learning disability and I still do but I have learned to over come it. Most believe that when entering college it is supposed to be harder then high school but it was actually the opposite for me. When I went to college, I had the option to learn what I wanted to learn and things that interested me, which made the learning experience exciting for me. Branson believes that if you can run one company you can run any company. it is this way of thinking that has earned Virgin a total revenue of $25 billion.

Richard Branson is an inspirational figure to me because he is a Greene type leader, someone with morals and willing to help others. Branson believes that growing as a company is about finding the right people and inspiring them to strive for more. One story Branson told during his interview on TED was when Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airways was having large financial problems and instead of laying of his employees he sold his family’s jewelry just so that he could keep everyone employed and also keep the companies running. Branson is also trying to make the world a better place by cleaning our atmosphere of hazardous elements. Additionally, Branson is helping people with diseases by giving free medication a treatment in Africa. These are just a few examples that show how much he actually cares for others and his willingness to go out of his way to help.


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